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Though if she were to say that, she had no doubt he’d blame her for subverting the terms.
“Shannon claimed to love me and I was certain that I loved her, but when I discovered her perfidy, I was far more angry than hurt.”
Chloe had no doubt Ariston had loved the schemer, because the relationship had had way too big an impact on him for anything but real emotion. She didn’t contradict him, though.
She found the idea of trying to convince Ariston he had in fact loved another woman nausea-producing.
Regardless, considering his views on the subject, she didn’t think bringing up her love for him would help their current situation, or dialogue.
She knew Ariston loved his grandfather. Maybe the old Greek was the only person Ariston was capable of feeling such a tender emotion toward nowadays.
He had no affectionate feelings for his parents that she’d ever been able to discern. Not that they had done anything to engender even a mild liking. Balios and Evia Spiridakou were sociopathically selfish and always had been from everything she’d heard. They were certainly worse than neglectful parents to Ariston.
The American socialite and the Greek playboy had divorced when Ariston was young, splitting custody equally between them. He’d grown up living half the year in New York and half the year in Athens. The latter half was better, according to Ariston, because he’d spent those months living in his grandfather’s home with his father popping in and out like a self-centered genie.
Ariston had never shared what he’d suffered because of them, but he’d told Chloe once that the only place he felt safe as a child was with his grandfather.
They arrived at their destination and she realized it was her hotel. Despite their family’s dwindling coffers, her sister had booked Chloe in at a five-star hotel. Rhea was insistent that appearances had to be maintained for the sake of the business.
Ariston moved as if to exit the car with her. “I’ll see you inside. We still have much to discuss.”
If he came up to her room, they might well talk, but she wasn’t naive enough to believe that was all that would happen. “Right. First payments on the contract,” she offered flippantly before stepping out of the car.
He took her arm and led her into the Park Avenue entrance. “Wouldn’t that have been this afternoon?”
“I didn’t know about your proposition then, so how could it?” she asked as her heels clicked an angry tattoo across the marble floor of the lobby.
Not that this evening could be either, since she hadn’t actually agreed to what he was proposing.
She wasn’t entirely sure she was going to allow things to end up in bed, but she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t either. She felt like an accident victim … shocky and in need of physical connection. He was here, and if she could choose to be held by anyone, no matter how odd it might seem, Ariston was at the top of her list at present.
He wouldn’t have been, even a day ago.
How had things changed so quickly? Or had they not changed at all, only her willingness to admit to them—if only to herself?
“No, you did not,” he said as he guided her into the elevator. “Why did you have sex with me? Maybe it was your version of falling at my feet on behalf of the Dioletis Industries employees. Considering how explosive we always were in bed, it wasn’t a bad strategy.”
She spun to face him. “I wasn’t the one who started it!”
“No, but you made no objections once I did. I have to wonder why.”
“Are you really that insecure? Because you are the dead-sexiest man I’ve ever met. Is that plain-speaking enough for you?” She turned away.
Idiot. He was such a corporate shark, he couldn’t think of any reason for sex other than a business ploy. He probably had made the move on her in order to influence her response to his proposition. She could hardly deny now that she still wanted him, but she wouldn’t have anyway.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“I’m sure you are.”
When they reached her room, she silently let him inside.
Ariston sighed. “I had no ulterior motives for what happened earlier in my office either. I have never made a secret of how much I enjoy your body.”
Some of the tension drained from Chloe. At least he hadn’t been trying to manipulate her with sex. That would have just felt so darn tawdry—and frankly, his proposal was bad enough.
She put her purse away in the armoire and slipped out of heels she hadn’t worn in two years before today. She’d changed from her suit earlier to a simple black dress that had once been her favorite for dinner.
Now all she wanted was out of it and into comfy clothes for this discussion, but that wasn’t going to happen. “Takis is a very stubborn man. He hasn’t even seen me in two years.”
